The
Ben Maiser built the two-story Sherman House on
The hotel, which charged reasonable rates, was successful enough so that extensive improvements were soon made. Maiser bought a “new Monarch Brunswick and Blake combination billiard and pool table….the finest in the town.” (Herald, June 29, 1882)
The hotel was thoroughly overhauled and refitted prior to the 1884 tourist season. Habergarten, the sole proprietor by April 1885, hung out “a new and very handsome sign” and made an addition to the hotel in 1885. In order to accommodate approximately ten additional teams, Habergarten enlarged his stable. The hotel was popular as an overnight stopping by place by 1886.
The hotel was popular also as a resting and drinking spot, especially before and after the Sunday services of the nearby Catholic and Lutheran churches. Traveling to church was an adventure for those who lived outside the town. Many of the families journeyed from one to two hours to attend church. They used the outdoor toilet facilities of the Sherman House before the services. After worshipping, the men would repair to the hotel’s saloon, which was closed during the services, to drink and socialize. This practice was so common that a ladies’ waiting room was added in 1886 to shelter the women and children. Elm Street was crowded on Sunday. Not only were the stables filled, but the hitching rails were also lined up on both sides of the street with horse-drawn wagons or buggies in the summer and cutters or sleighs in the winter.
The Sherman House
was usually filled during the tourist season. The Valley Herald described the
Two of the more
noteworthy guests at the Sherman House were Peter Schutz
of
The Sherman House had a succession of owners after Maiser and Habergarten.: Joseph and Albert Miller (1901) Mr. and Mrs. Alois Zrust (1902) and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Zeman (1903-1909). During these years the Sherman House had twenty-five beds. The hotel had the capacity to serve more than a hundred dinners for any special event. Business must have been good in 1909, because a new cement walk was set along the south side of the building. The Sherman House also was treated to a new coat of green paint with white trimming. Then in August an accident shattered the mood. The readers of the Patriot were saddened to learn that:
Mr. Frank Zeman Jr. met with a peculiar
accident at the
Two months later the Zemans offered the sale of the Sherman House “for either cash or easy terms.”
The Sherman House
story was uneventful after World War I with the exception of a law violation in
1937. Agents of the State Liquor Commissioner’s Office raided the Sherman House
and confiscated liquor valued at $400. Federal agents also raided the pool room
at the
The Sherman House
was purchased in 1922 by Otto H. “Buck” Krueger, who owned it off and on until
his death in 1955. His widow Caroline then became the owner, and their daughter
and son-in-law, June and Ray Doyle, managed it as “Ray’s Place.” In 1969 Pearl Bonsteel took over management, and it became known as “